What Google’s Latest Update Really Means for Small Publishers

In this episode of the Niche Pursuits News podcast, Jared Bauman and Thomas Smith dive into some of the biggest developments affecting content creators this week.

From the final rollout of Google’s March 2025 Core Update to explosive new AI product launches, the episode covers everything from search volatility to emerging tools that could transform how content gets created, ranked, and monetized.

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Google’s March 2025 Core Update

Now that the update has officially finished rolling out, the team dug into what the data says—and what it really means for publishers.

Key trends from the update:

• Some sites saw major lifts, while others got hit hard—though the update wasn’t as sweeping as previous ones like the HCU.
• Medium and small forums took a big hit. Many niche forums that previously surged were pruned back, while Reddit and Quora held strong or even gained.
• Programmatic content at scale—especially sites spinning up thousands of pages—saw visibility declines.
• News aggregator sites and those suspected of using AI to produce content saw drops, particularly in Google Discover.
• In contrast, human-written, long-form, and original reporting content got a noticeable boost.

Despite Google’s claim that the update would help small publishers, it’s not entirely clear that played out in practice.

Observations and takeaways:

• Updates appear to be more nuanced than broad-sweeping.
• Large brands like Amazon saw visibility drops, while niche retailers saw gains.
• This may be a preview of where Google is heading next, particularly with elevating human-created content over AI and programmatic content.

Inside Google’s AI Direction

The conversation then turned to a Bloomberg article titled “Google Is Searching for an Answer to ChatGPT.” The piece reveals deep internal perspectives from current and former Google executives, and it paints a picture of a company fundamentally rethinking its role in search.

Highlights from the article and the discussion:

• Liz Reid took over as Google’s head of search in 2024 and has since rolled out major changes like AI overviews and Gemini.
• Google seems increasingly focused on keeping users on its own pages, reducing the incentive to send traffic to publishers.
• AI-generated responses—essentially summaries of web content—are becoming central to how Google serves information.
• Google reportedly passed on launching chatbot-like search as early as 2021 because it wasn’t ad-friendly. Now, ChatGPT’s success has forced their hand.
• Internal quotes describe driving traffic to publishers as a “necessary evil,” suggesting Google’s long-term direction may not prioritize publishers’ interests.

What this means for content creators:

• Expect more AI-generated answers and fewer opportunities for organic traffic, especially for basic or commoditized queries.
• The focus should shift to building owned audiences, stronger branding, and content that offers unique insights or experience.
• The traditional search bar is becoming less central—voice, visual, and conversational interfaces are likely to dominate moving forward.

Big Week for AI Tools

Thomas shared his hands-on thoughts on a wave of new AI launches that are especially relevant for content creators:

GPT-4.0 Image Generation (Native in ChatGPT)

• OpenAI’s latest multimodal model is a big leap forward.
• Unlike DALL·E, this model uses the same system for both text and images, allowing for better understanding and iteration.
• You can generate infographics, charts, or blog visuals directly from detailed prompts.
• It also creates realistic, “normal-looking” images, not just the polished ones typical of older models.

Ideogram 3.0

• Strong contender for thumbnail and graphics creation.
• Excellent with text rendering, design consistency, and stylistic control.
• Ideal for YouTube creators, bloggers, or anyone who wants more visual control over AI images.

Google Gemini 2.5 Pro

• Google’s latest “reasoning model” excels at data analysis and synthesis.
• Useful for content ideation, especially when analyzing performance data (e.g., YouTube stats).
• Offers smart insights like “why your content performed well” and ideas for what to make next.

Thomas highlighted how these tools are making it easier than ever to create visuals, save time, and experiment with new types of content creation.

From Calculator Sites to Newsletters

Both Jared and Thomas shared updates on their side projects, each reflecting different angles of the content game.

Jared’s Calculator Site Project

• All five calculator-based sites are now live.
• Three have been indexed and are getting some early traffic.
• One had an initial spike, followed by a decline—classic “Google dance” behavior.
• Early indicators suggest these projects will need time and backlinks to break into top rankings.
• Jared noted it feels like a throwback to traditional SEO—where new domains take months to mature.

Future plans include:

• Testing calculator content on existing, aged domains to see if performance improves faster.
• Applying calculator tools to client websites as lead gen assets (e.g., cost estimators for local services).

Thomas’s “AI in Real Life” Newsletter

• Moved to Beehive and niched down to focus on practical uses of AI.
• Subscriber count has grown from ~2,900 to over 3,500 in just a few weeks.
• Sponsored placements through Beehive are already generating income, and the ease of use has led to 3–4 sends per week.
• A YouTube channel tied to the newsletter has started growing unexpectedly fast, gaining traction without a dedicated strategy.

What started as a simple email project has become a multi-platform brand.

Weird Niches of the Week

This week’s “weird niche” picks featured two very different but equally fascinating examples: Music Map and Coffee Copycat.

Music-Map.com

• A quirky but fun discovery tool that maps related music artists based on listener behavior.
• You can click from band to band to explore similar artists, forming a visual web of connections.
• The site gets significant traffic (possibly 300K+ monthly) with minimal monetization—leaving room for expansion via programmatic content or affiliate offers.

CoffeeCopycat.com

• A more traditional content site focused on recreating Starbucks-style drinks at home.
• Strong imagery, detailed recipes, and helpful content.
• Ranks for branded “copycat” recipe terms and saw a significant lift in the March Core Update.
• A great example of how old-school content models can still thrive with quality and niche focus.

Final Thoughts

This episode covered a lot of ground—from the micro-level impacts of the March update to the macro shift in how search and AI are reshaping content creation. Whether you’re building niche sites, running a newsletter, or experimenting with AI, there’s plenty here to take away.

The big themes:

• Human-created content still matters—and may be gaining ground again.
• Google’s AI ambitions are real, and they’re rewriting the rules of search.
• Tools are evolving fast. If you’re not experimenting with them, you might fall behind.